Venice, Anyone?
- 2 hours ago
- 12 min read
The answer was si.
To review, I'd booked an apartment for the entire month of January and invited friends and family to join me there. Allow me to introduce the cast of characters who said yes. They came in three waves.
First wave: my sister Rosie and brother-in-law Jon, niece Victoria and her pal Kendra
Second wave: sister Sheila and her sisters-in-law Cara and Chrissy (my sisters-in-law once removed or something along those lines)
Third and last wave: Hammam, one of the dearest people in the world to me and someone I don’t see anywhere near often enough
I think we all approved of the accommodations, which I'd booked through ViewsonVenice.com, an outfit that specializes in somewhat upscale, short-term rentals. The place was beautifully situated between Piazza San Marco and the Accademia bridge, nicely designed, and comfortable. It came to feel like home.
The only problem was the inscrutable Bosch appliances. I know they’re considered top of the line. In fact, I have a washer and dryer from Bosch in my home in Fossacesia. They'll shampoo and blowdry your hair for you if you’re only willing to stick your head inside the drum. Still, for all of Bosch's accomplishments, it has yet to succeed in getting my socks dry. I'm sure it's user error; it's all just too complicated, and I'm allergic to reading product instructions.
The oven here was the same. There were settings for all kinds of meat – loin of pork, duck breast, veal rollatini. The oven wanted to know all about your meat. How much did it weigh? What were its dimensions? How fat was it? How was it dressed? The only thing it didn't ask was whether you’d ever considered giving up meat. Meanwhile, I tried in vain to find a setting for baking banana bread or a cake of any kind, which I’d actually hoped to do for my guests’ breakfasts.
So we had to manage without,.
Anyway, here are some snaps of our moments together in the days leading up to Carnevale, together with a smattering of discoveries and a running list of good restaurants. We'll start with group 1.
Clockwise from top left: dinner at La Piazza, a very touristy but nonetheless excellent dining experience; discovering Bistro de Venise, an upscale restaurant with dedicated vegan options; a great meal there the following night; outside Caffe' Florian, Italy's oldest cafe (dating from 1720); a traghetto ride; and a sunlit canal in Sestiere San Marco
Circle of life. Jon drew our attention to some of the smaller canals that teemed with fish. Sadly (though not for the bird, I guess) one of the city’s many aggressive seagulls had a fresh catch for breakfast as we watched. We also witnessed two episodes of gulls snatching slices of pizza right out of shocked tourists’ hands as they leaned in for another bite. I was less sorry to see that.
Blithe spirits in slo-mo. I love this video of Rosie and me in St. Mark’s Square. Out of character for me, very much in character for Ro. It does capture our feeling about being there in that moment.
...Maybe she'll get bored and go away. I have no idea what’s happening in this photo as we await our table at Ca’ Dolfin, but I'm guessing Jon is wise not to make eye contact. The prosecco was complimentary and the food and service proved to be terrific.
An etiquette lesson. La Gatoria Piazzesi, a shop specializing in rare papers that we never found open, posted a sign saying they were seldom there with a phone number that was always unavailable. (We tried a few times.) And the coup de grace: instructions (in English) on how to behave if you ever managed to get your big fat English-speaking snout inside the place.
A vaporetto with a view. Jon had the presence of mind to film the view from the water one nightwhen we were en route to dinner. It gave him something to do to avoid eye contact with me.
I guess Rosie and I were trying to channel a James Dean cool one afternoon. With my boyish haircut, I did a better job of it than I’m entirely comfortable with. I think it's a cool shot, though.
Note: Rosie and I hogged the spotlight because Victoria and Kendra only stayed for three days, because Jon hates having his picture taken, and because we're vain and self-absorbed.
For Your Consideration
Touring the Doges Palace, which I hadn’t done since my first trip to Venice four decades ago, was an eye-opener. If you’ve never done it or, like me, have forgotten what you learned, I recommend a visit. A guide is always great, but you don’t have to have one to benefit from the experience because the placards tell the story.
It’s a particularly relevant story for our times bcause Venice had been a pioneer in the experiment of what we might call modern democracy. True, it was an oligarchical system, but one initially concerned with establishing checks and balances; providing protections for the poor and powerless; foreseeing where and how abuses of power could sneak in and trying – not successfully, ultimately -- to guard against them. In fact, contrary to what I’d always assumed, Venice came by the moniker "La Serenissima" not because it's a dreamy city one can imagine silently rising from the water but because for awhile its citizens -- rich and poor, high- and low-born alike – lived pretty contentedly under the doge-led system.
Unfortunately, the paranoia of power prevailed, and some architectural features stand as witnesses to it. Case in point: Below left is a mailbox inside the palace into which citizens might anonymously push poison-pen letters accusing neighbors of high crimes akin to treason. That’s my perfidious eyeball you see through the tiny opening as I report ill-behaved tourists to a highly judgmental Rosie.
At right is the view from a small aperture in the Bridge of Sighs, which connected the interrogation rooms of the Palace to the prisons and was so named because it afforded those convicted their last glimpse of Venice.
Little Discovery
Inviting places to stay that are hiding in plain sight. We walked a whole swath of Dorsoduro I'd never walked before, starting from the tip that's just across the Grand Canal from the Santa Lucia train station and continuing to the bottom of the Rialto Bridge. Along the route, we happened upon a couple of hotels that captured our fancy. The two properties were neighbors in a very quiet little square that fronted the Grand Canal. The location was at once central and out-of-the-way.
We ducked into the approachable Hotel Canal Grande to have a look. Very nice and cozy.
The Ca' Nigra Lagoon Resort was a little more forbidding, which made it enticing in an altogether different way. I checked it out online and it's touted there as a wedding destination with gardens along the Grand Canal.
Little Discovery
Libreria Acqua Alta. At this bookshop just off Santa Maria Formosa, books are amusingly displayed in tubs and boats – ready for the high-water days. It's worth a visit.
Little Discovery
Lo sgroppino. A dessert drink I’d forgotten and just rediscovered. Lemon sorbetto, prosecco, and vodka whirled together. I don't love prosecco or vodka, but this combo blends into a frothy, creamy delight.
Little Discovery
Water bottles to go. At a noteworthy restaurant called Bistrot de Venise, the table decor includes these unusual water bottles decorated with Murrina glass. You can buy them at the restaurant or online at bistrotdevenise.com. Altogether, we had 12 shipped home.
Wave 2: Here they come! Rosie and Jon left on January 12th. A few days later, I met the next gang as they walked the gangplank off the water taxi. Sheilz was the first to emerge.
A few of our moments around town. Clockwise from top left: the arresting Church of San Moise, which kept catching Chrissy's aritst's eye; a stop at the tony Gritti Palace (where the price of a drink could indeed make you grit your teeth); a stop at the less tony prisons of the Doge's Palace, aka Palazzo Ducale; outside Pizzeria al Profeta, where we guzzled some darned good pizzas; at La Caravella for an excellent dinner; and the obligatory shot in front of Basilica San Marco.
Doing as the Venetians do. Their first night marked our first time ever taking part in the ombra e cicchetti pre-dinner ritual. Well, minus the cicchetti. We had a quick 5-euro glass of wine at Osteria ai Pugni. You’ll know the popular places by the crowd inside and sometimes outside.
Two masks and a task. Ca’ del Sol now is officially my favorite mask shop in Venice and, believe me, I'm long familiar with pretty much all of them. I shipped the two masks below to Fossacesia for the guest room.
Sheila bought a decorative box in the shape of a doge's cap (aka ducal horn) and supervised the maestro as he carefully went over the piece to reinforce stones. We're all accustomed to Sheil's oversight, but it might have been a new experience for him.
I love this guy. He's the real thing. The bookmark he’ll pack into your bag features a poem that’s a kind of paean to the characters of his trade.
A pattern of disturbing behavior. We came to realize that if there was a carb or sweet to be had anywhere within arm's reach, Sheila was planting her face in it before we could distract her with more home decor. This was a cup of drinking chocolate we couldn't pry out of her hands.
Guess what's coming to dinner! Why, my new pompom hat and Sheila’s mask for her entry salon.
Meanwhile, back at the Nolinsky bar...We all spent a few nights there before or after dinner and I found my new favorite cocktail: the Banana Old-fashioned (far right). I guess that should be a New-fashioned? You can't see it here, but there's a slice of dried banana together with a graphic design stamped into the ice. God, I love this place.
Speaking of bananas... We laughed our heads off about the sorry sartorial state of my feet in this snap. (See gruesome detail.) So very elfin and banana-like (though not in a New-fashioned way at all). I won't be making this mistake again; the booties stayed in Venice.
Dammit, Sheila! We turned our backs for two seconds! Cara and Chrissy, we need to start planning an intervention or she'll be tipping the scales at 100+ pounds before we know it.
Little Discovery Mask-making option. There are places all over that'll let you paint your own mask, but you're usually limited to just a few simple faces and a smattering of color and trim options. Chrissy wanted to do a Pinocchio and, after some ado, was accommodated at La Bauta.
Little Discovery
"Venetian-style" on menus: What exactly does it mean? We finally got around to finding out. When it comes to pasta, at least, "Venetian-style" generally means in an onion-anchovy sauce. The dish was actually pretty mild, though I don’t know that anyone will be ordering it again. It was a little like an aglioglio, which we prefer.
Little Discovery
Tonolo bakery. Apparently, this place is a hometown favorite. Jostle with the neighborhood nonne to order toothsome pastries, including two Carnevale season favorites – fritelle and galani.
Sheila snatched the fritella (above right) from a blind priest who was sitting at the counter, but we managed to restore it to him with only one bite taken. For God's sake, Sheil, it's almost Lent.
For Your Consideration
Don't, as I did, wait 40 years to attend one of the Vivaldi concertos you’ll find all over the city -- often in pretty churches. Were it not for Cara's insistence, I might have waited another 10, and that would have been a shame. We heard The Four Seasons. I don’t know if that’s always the program, but often it is. The experience is a fairly intimate one, sans conductor. Ours was an 8-piece chamber orchestra and each “season” was led by one member. The ticket is 25 euro and it’s just a 1.5-hour commitment. The only problem: The 8:30 p.m. start time can interfere with dinner plans.
Wave 3: Hammam arrived for the last week of my stay. I'd reserved some cultural pursuits for his time with me because, while he's a pretty good shopper, I don't think he's quite in my league.
From left: One of our only selfies because we're equally inept at taking them; a chair and a glass of prosecco during a long shopping hike in Dorsoduro; one of my favorite spots in Venice, just at the bottom of the Accademia bridge. I love it because the water is right there inviting you to dive in. I told Hammam I would give him 50 crisp euros to do so but, inexplicably, he declined.
We were intrigued by these bronze sculptures, so went in to ask about them. I let him do the talking, which proved prudent because my questions about bronze casting would've outed me. The pieces were expensive but not crazy expensive and I was half-tempted to buy one. I might have done so had they been half-price --as many things are in Italy during these January sales!
Some like it haute. We kept walking past this posh French shoe salon and Hammam waxed poetic about the lines of a particular pair of pumps in the window. With eyes a-roll, I told him he should just try them on and be done wih it. He called my bluff and marched me into the place, where we were greeted by three buttoned-up representatives to whom, as I stood abashed and incredulous, he recounted our exchange and asked if he might try on the shoes. To my surprise, they were highly amused and led us up a spiral staircase to the salon proper. (Had this happened in New York, the self-important clerks would have shot us dead.) Ya gotta admit, the man can pull off a pump.
Little Discovery
Laser filler! This stopped me in my tracks because I desperately need some injectables and won't have anything that's animal-tested (as all injectables must be in the U.S.). I tried a treatment and, while it doesn't have the same effect as the cruelty-full options, I think it helped a little. Like all this stuff, you're advised to do it three times within a couple of months or so.
I’m not sure that we have this alternative yet back home; I’m still searching. -- Yet another reason to come back to Venice sooner than later.
Little Discovery
"Lost Wax" Jewelry Workshop. (Enlarge the photo for a better look.) Apparently, some of the "lost wax" was in or between my ears because I had a hard time understanding this process. Suffice it to say the workshop is a tempting option for next time, the place agreeably located right in St. Mark’s Square. We spoke to the artist herself and she recommended calling several days in advance to reserve a time.
(+39 338 9232103 www.boncompagnivaleria.com)
For Your Consideration
We saw Simon Boccanegra at the storied La Fenice Opera House, which I’d been hankering to get inside for years.
To make it doubly special, there was a dress code. A DRESS CODE! I had to run out and buy a skirt (H&M, 29 euro courtesy of January sales). I’m not a fan of opera, but Hammam is. I loved just being there and soaking it all in. And it was fun to see the confetti come down and hear the calls of “brava” and “bravi” as the cast took their bows.
The Peggy Guggenheim Museum is a varied and manageable collection. The temporary ceramics exhibition included free-form crucifixes that caught my attention.
On January 29th, Piazza San Marco suddenly became a construction site. Turned out it was to be an open-air ballroom for masked dancers to kick off both Carnevale and season 4 of Bridgerton --with a nod to the impending Olympics to be hosted not far from here. The entire set went up in two days.
The evening of January 31st would see the kick-off of Carnevale 2026. We'd be leaving in the morning. Seeing the city costumed for the masquerade made me sorry to be missing it all by a matter of hours, even though I’d been warned off the drunken bacchanalia by several residents.
Fare thee well, Venice the Menace*
Why is Venice the Menace? Because a person had to buy another piece of luggage for all the stuff a person had bought during her stay: clothes (including coats!), jewelry, belts, hats, masks, glassware, host gifts, olive oil, wine, prints, boots, table decor, more boots.
Why else is Venice the Menace? Because a person ate things a person wouldn’t eat at home. Like breakfast. Focaccia. Focaccia with olive oil. Spoonfuls of other people’s tiramisu and bites of other people's fritelle. Spaghetti for lunch and linguini for dinner. Veg pizza. Other people's pizza crusts. Bars of cioccolato fondente. Cioccolato fondente gelato. Cioccolato fondente gelato sprinkled with olive oil and focaccia crumbs...for breakfast.
And, finally, because the bad boys of the town wear stripes.
*And fare thee well, Jay North. Thanks for the memories.
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Venice Restaurant Recs: Running List
Trattoria alla Rivetta – truly outstanding food; a bit pricey
La Piazza – admittedly very touristy, but every plate delicious
L’Antica Sacrestia – very pretty; some dishes better than others
Da Vecio Marangon – tiny and crowded with locals; proprietor with personality
Ca’ Dolfin – terrific food and service
La Bitta -- "no seafood" its claim to fame; small and truly outstanding
Bistro de Venise -- fancier; great food; small vegan sub-menu
Trattoria ai Botteri – great for lunch; food terrific but not much atmosphere
Da Carletto – cozy atmosphere, excellent food. Tell Mido I said hello
Regina Sconta -- out-of-the-way place with great food
La Caravella – upscale; nice atmosphere; specifically vegan options
Ristorante Anonimo -- unassuming little place with very good food
Ristorante Rio de la Veste – gondoliers at many tables; tasty food
Il Giardinetto da Severino – a longstanding fave
Two good pizza spots:
Pizza 1000 Gourmet
Ristorante Pizzeria al Profeta
Restaurant Etiquette Tip
Don’t bring a cone of gelato into a crowded restaurant at dinnertime and proceed to eat it at your leisure before bothering to open the menu. I'll cop to being the Mr. Wilson of the Venice the Menace nabe, but honestly…
Next up: My cooking lesson
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